This Decision establishes ‘The European Research Council Executive Agency’ to manage Community activity on the Specific Programme ‘Ideas’ within the framework of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013).

ACT

Commission Decision 2008/37/EC of 14 December 2007 setting up the ‘European Research Council Executive Agency’ for the management of the specific Community programme ‘Ideas’ in the field of frontier research in application of Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003.

SUMMARY

This Decision establishes ‘The European Research Council Executive Agency’ for the period 1 January 2008 – 31 December 2017. Governed by Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003, the Agency is responsible for the management of Community activity in the field of frontier research.

award contracts and grants and manage entire life-cycles of projects selected on the basis of the sole criterion of excellence of proposals;

adopt budget implementation tasks;

collect, analyse and communicate the information needed to implement the Programme.

The Agency is managed by a Steering Committee and a Director, both appointed by the Commission. The Steering Committee is appointed for two years, the Director for four years. The appointments may be renewed.

In accordance with the FP7 Specific Programme ‘Ideas’, the Agency also provides assistance to the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC), as adopted by the Council Decision 2006/972/EC.

Financing and supervision

The finances for the Agency are derived from the funds for the FP7 Specific Programme ‘Ideas’ (2007-13). The operating budget is to be implemented as stipulated by Regulation (EC) No 1653/2004.

The Agency is under the supervisory authority of the Commission, to which it must report regularly on the progress made in the implementation of its programme.

Background

With its Decision 2007/134 of 2 February 2007, the Commission established the ERC to implement the FP7 Specific Programme ‘Ideas’. The ERC comprises an independent Scientific Council, which was set up simultaneously and is composed of 22 high level scientists, and a dedicated implementation structure in the form of the executive agency.